The first flight of Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) Airbus A330 from Jeddah to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia grabbed international attention for all the wrong reasons.

A video clip circulated by a passenger shows unhygienic conditions in the toilets, including human waste left on one of the toilet seats, and tissues littering the gangway of the plane. The shocking footage sparked an outrage on social media, with some blaming the crew for failing to sanitize the plane and some criticizing the passengers for ignoring the basic rules of cleanliness.

The video clip was shared by several media outlets, including Britain’s Daily Mail site and Mirror newspaper.

A source at Saudia, who refused to be identified, told Arab News that most of the passengers on the aircraft were deportees. He declined further comment.

Speaking to Arab News, a Saudi citizen, Muhammad Al-Saed, said, “If I were a passenger on the flight, I would have filed a complaint with Saudia as well as GACA (General Authority of Civil Aviation). I would also expect a compensation.”

Although the blame must be shared between the passengers and the airline, Saudia must get the bigger share of blame, he said.

“The crew must always keep the airplane clean. It is Saudia’s fault if the crew is understaffed,” he added.

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